Playing The Game

The Insanely Great Theory Behind that Big Game of Thrones Recasting

Though this post contains some discussion and speculation generated by the George R.R. Martin books, it does not, in fact, cover anything that hasn't already been happened in the TV series. However, if you’re extra sensitive to spoilers, you may want to leave now. We’ll continue the discussion after Margaery Tyrell’s bedroom eyes.

But there’s a sort of insane theory that Daario Naharis is actually a cover for another character we’ve already met. It’s not quite as insane as it sounds. There’s book precedence for a characters disguise. Unlike in the show, in the books Dany’s other companion, Ser Barristan Selmy, waits a very long time to reveal his identity. Going by Arstan Whitebeard and hiding behind, well, a white beard, Selmy conceals the fact that he used to be a knight in King’s Landing. He was summarily dismissed right around the time Cersei had Ned Stark arrested. You can’t really hide that sort of thing in a TV show, however. Any show watcher with two eyeballs is not going to be fooled by a little bit of facial hair.

So in the show, instead of playing the long con, Selmy revealed himself right away. That brings us back to the blue beard and Daario. Could he be concealing his identity in order to get close the Khaleesi? Sure. Why not? Though it would be an awfully big coincidence to have two men (maybe more) in Dany’s service hiding their identity and intention. Dany is an easy mark, having grown up in Essos, she doesn’t know a Westerosi hawk from a handsaw. Her companion Ser Jorah, on the other hand, should recognize the Westerosi. However, in the books he was as fooled by Selmy’s little white beard. More importantly, who, exactly, is pretending to be Daario Naharis? Well there’s a crackpot theory that Daario is Ned Stark’s missing brother Benjen in disguise. You remember Benjen from the first few episodes of the series, right? He’s played by Joseph Mawle and looks like this.

Benjen disappears early on in the first book and though there are other, more popular theories as to where he’s been this whole time, one thing everyone agrees on is that we haven’t heard the last of Ned’s brother. Did the show runners recast Daario because Huisman looks a lot more Starkish?